Questions about Muck

There is a Primary school on Muck where they go until they are 11 or 12 years old. Then they go to Mallaig High school for their secondary education. They stay in a hostel in Mallaig and come back every other weekend.

We ring 999 and we contact the local coastguards until medical help arrives. If it is serious, the Scottish Ambulance helicopter comes over to transport patients to hospital in Fort William or Inverness.

There is employment on the farm, the hotel, cafe and the school. There are a number of independant businesses like B &Bs and craftwork. A salmon fishfarm is also planned that will provide jobs on the island.

We order it from the local shops in Mallaig like the Co-op and we also use wholesalers like Highland Wholefoods. Everything comes by ferry, so you have to be quite organised and make sure you don't run out as the ferry does not always run in the winter months.

Questions about Eigg

There is a primary school on Eigg, with the children going off to the mainland when they reach secondary school age. When they are at secondary school in Mallaig, they come home for the weekend once a fortnight. See the school website for further details

The Eigg Shop carries a wide range of ambient groceries, beers and wines, spirits, chilled and frozen produce, fresh fruit and vegetables, butchery , bakery, wholefoods and fresh fish as well as household items, coal, peat, small hardware, maps, local newspapers, postcards, stationery, ice creams, nappies and so on. Local produce available includes Eiggy Bread's delicious loaves, pastries and pasties (Friday’s during the winter months, please pre-order to guarentee availability), eggs, hen and ducks and sometimes goose (eggs are stocked most of the year but subject to avaialbility - when no Eigg eggs are available we always stock Scottish Free Range), marmalades, honey and other preserves as available. Local fish is sometime available, and fresh lobster and crab for pre-order are usually available during the summer season - Please ask if you would like it cooked. Our meat is supplied by our local butcher in Mallaig and is superb - he makes his own venison, pork and beef sauasages which are geat. We support Fairtrade, and stock Fairtrade and organic items whenever they are available, sourcing a lot of our foods from Highland Wholefoods or Glencarse Foods. If you would like to have groceries delivered for your arrival, please email us at sue.kirk2@btopenworld.com or fill in the form on the Contact Page. Payment methods accepted are Cash, cheque, credit or debit card or Bank transfer

When the community buy-out occured in 1997, just under half of the islanders were indigenous to the island. Now this proportion has diminished to a third. However, the island is now seeing the children of incomers that settled on the island 30 years ago returning to the island to have their own children. They do consider themselves to be indigenous to Eigg! The island continues to attract new people, largely through its very succesful volunteer programme which allows people to get a taste of island life before settling in for good.

We run around so much during the summer, that it is relief to sit by the fireside in the winter time, having time to catch up on socialising and doing things for yourself that you can't do in the summer time when you are too busy!

Since the advent of the polytunnel, many islanders are becoming selfsufficient in summer and winter vegetables. The polyunnels also offer the opportunity to grow vegetables not normally associated with the West Highlands such as Pak Choi, Cavolo Nero and many more.

Certainly not! We have a large bank of solar panels which have a significant input into the system when we run out of wind or water, which does happen occasionally! And if this is not enough, our Diesel backup generators come into life to top up the batteries which hold enough power for 24 hours.

Find out what there is to do by having a good look through this website, and follow us on Facebook! The amount of activities on offer is increasing every year, from sporting to craft, music and dance activities.

St Donnan's RC church offers a lay service most Sunday at 11.30. The church is in Laig Bay on the north side of the island and offers a fine display of Early Christian crosses. The Church of Scotland is in the middle of the island and has infrequent services. Both churches are listed buildings and you are welcome to visit them as they are always open.

4 times a week in winter, 6 times a week in summer through the Ferry Service operated by Cal Mac. Click on the link to see the timetable for winter 2013/14. There is also a private ferry operator which runs a service from Arisaig every day apart from Thursday.

Eigg is fortunate to have a good proportion of people in their 20s and 30s. Many of these have returned to live on the island after a number of years studying and or living on the mainland. Some young people have actually moved to Eigg because there was such a high proportion of young people. Eigg's volunteer programme is very successful in providing candidates for island life!

There is social housing on Eigg so that there are a few houses that periodically come up for rent. Most of the houses leased to local residents by the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust. Amongst the houses that are owned outright, there are 2 that are currently up for sale.

The Highland Council (The Small Isles & Knoydart Prohibition of Vehicles Amendment) Order 2010 applies restrictions to vehicles being driven on public roads on Eigg, Muck and Knoydart. This was supported by the Communities to maintain their tranquil lifestyle as well as protecting the fragile road infrastructure.

Permits are available for Residents and Temporary permits are available for genuine registered contractors to take a vehicle which is being used to convey essential heavy equipment which cannot be transported without the use of a vehicle to Knoydart and The Small Isles.

There is also provision for Disabled Persons, i.e. "registered disabled person's vehicle" means a vehicle lawfully displaying a disabled persons badge and which is a vehicle which has been or is to be used for carrying the disabled person for whom the badge has been issued, as a passenger.

There is no charge for the permits and application forms are available to download from this website. Enquiries regarding permits can me made at any of the following offices: Fort William Service Point 01397 707290 Mon-Fri 9am – 5pm TEC Services – Fort William 01397 709000 Mon–Fri 9am – 5pm Mallaig Service Point 01687 462789 variable times.

Sadly, very few still speak it as their every day language. However, it is taught in the primary school and is used at the Feis Eige. From time to time, evening classes are organised for people to brush up on their conversational skills.

The stags can be dangerous during the rut (September -October). They are a nuisance for gardeners and crofters as they come down from the hill to eat our crops, but in general, they are fairly shy and tend to flee when they see or hear people coming.

Not al all! About 20% of the people living on Rum work for SNH on the nature reserve and at the Castle and hostel.

There is a teacher and a pier worker employed by Highland Council, 2 researchers employed by the Deer Research project, and another studying rats.

There are 3 active crofts, a Venison Processing Company, several B&Bs and Guesthouses, a postman, a seasonal tea-shop and a shop. There is also a community ranger , a development officer and various people also make their living form arts and crafts.

Rum has a primary school, with 2 children currently attending. When children reach secondary age, they attend Mallaig Highschool,staying in the school hostel and returning every other weekend. At presnt, there are 2 children who are attending Mallaig High, and another 2 are home educated.

Kinloch village's electricity is provided by the hydro scheme built to serve Kinloch Castle in 1897 by daming on the island's main river, and which was set by the Bulloughs. The hydro-scheme has recently been upgraded. Residents outside the village are self-sufficient in power, relying on solar power and wind energy with generator back up.